Happy Five Months

Starting on cereal at night with the hopes Sam will sleep longer at night!

Have teddy, will bond!

Not much snow last Saturday, but enough to sled!

January Days

Sam loving his jump-a-roo.  He isn't happy in it unless he is right near someone.  We were just commenting that T and N spent much time in their swings, saucers and on the floor while Sam's tolerance for these things seem to be about 5 minutes (or less!).  He is a "carry-me" baby...wants to be in someone's arms.

Happy boy on the changing table.  He is happy on here 98% of the time.  I think he loves the close-up face to face.

Sam, chewing on his foot!

Waiting for Mommy to finish combing her hair.

Riding on Daddy's shoulders. Can you see Sam his using Matt's ears has handles?

The craziest thing happened the other day. I found a knot of my hairs wrapped around (tightly) Sam's middle toe. I had to take the seam ripper to get under the hair.  The hair was so tight, it was cutting into his skin. How strange. I'm just glad I found it before it hurt him any worse. 

I've signed Thomas and Nathan up for Little League this spring. They are very excited.

On the way home last night, we couldn't get down our road from Highland because of fire trucks blocking our way.  A firefighter told us a house had burned (our hearts leaped), which we asked?  It was Three Acre Farm, one of the original houses on our road.  It's the one that has the farm stand out by the road all summer.  Matt saw it this morning and said the entire back portion of the house appears to be where the fire was.  Thomas and Nathan had a tough time going to sleep last night....the things nightmares are made of.  I was reminded of the saying that fire is a wonderful slave but a poor master.  

Quiet Days

Sam batting at his toys

It appears that goatees are contagious in this house...I just hope I don't catch it!

Sam just rolled over by himself! 

A close-up of those blue eyes!

When Sam lays on the changing table, he kicks his feet down (boom boom) just like Thomas used to. He is very tactile (hmm, is this the right word?). He rubs my hand the entire time he nurses unless he falls asleep. He went through a couple of days of reaching up and rubbing my chin and mouth. It's very sweet. It reminds me some of Nathan.....he used to pat us on the back when we would hold him up to our shoulder.

The Rest of Christmas Break

The boys trying out a new snap electronic kit. They were definitely interested in it and did 3 of the projects.

That is Dixie at the highest point of our beams...I heard skritch scratch and looked up to see her trying to get a good footing. Brother!

Nathan who has never been interested before in Legos, spent a good part of his time off successfully putting together a couple of projects.

We went up the hill a couple of times to get firewood using a really neat little wagon that's been loaned to us. Please ignore the car seat behind Matt! I used that to set Sam in while we were working and then carried him down in my arms.

Watching the bird feeder early in the morning. Thomas is my early-bird (no pun intended). He loves to still snuggle with me in the rocking chair. I remember doing that with my Grandma Louise when I would spend the weekend with them. Nathan loves his snuggles at night. He said to me a couple of nights back...when is your favorite time of day? I went through a couple of different times that I enjoy (early morning being one of them!) and then asked him. He told me "right now, bed-time snuggle" It warmed my heart. I'll try to snuggle as long as they still want it!

Sam playing with his toys. He is looking more like Nathan to me right now. First I've noticed this.

Sam and Thomas.

Thomas spotted this deer in our woods. This is just out our back window maybe 30 feet up our hill.

Wishful thinking!

Happy pictures with the Lucas clan

Sam sporting Bill's buret

Playing pass the baby while we waited for our food....yummy North end, Pagliucas at 14 Parmenter Street!

Three buddies, I hope for life.

Cowboy boot star, can you tell who is who?  It goes Matt, Thomas, Conner, Nathan and Bill.

Happy 4 months to little Sam. He does so well. He loves to pull himself up into a sitting position, loves his johnny-jump, takes and holds toys. He absolutely loves his brothers. He keeps track of them and happily smiles when they pay attention to him. He rolled over for the first time this past week....belly to back. He has been waving his feet around in the air and as the doctor said, he has all the right moves for getting over. He had his 4 month checkup last week. He weighs 14 pounds, 13 ounces (42%) and is a length of 25.25" (56%). He seems like such a big boy to us but his percentiles are pretty much average. He had 3 more vaccines, one in each leg and an oral rotavirus vaccine. Our night-time interactions are becoming just a little too frequent! Ach! I think we need to get rid of the pacifier in the crib because he has a bad habit of grabbing the pacifier handle when he stirs and yanking it out of his mouth which wakes him. I'm not sure how this will pan out. He did so well from just a tiny baby and then in December we both got colds and that was the end of sleeping through the night. I feel like I was up every hour last night or maybe every two.  

I was listening to Thomas and Nathan get ready for school this morning.  I heard Nathan tell Thomas "this is a waste of time".  I find it funny when they police themselves.  Nathan's hearing stinks right now and Thomas often will repeat orders to him.  I'm not sure what is going on with Nathan but it is back to making sure that we talk directly to his face.   

Sam and his extended family

Sam with his Grandma.

Sam with his Grandpa.

Sam with his cousin Katie.  Katie had a way of getting Sam to giggle...not just once but a few different times.  It was adorable.  She really had an interest in him.

Sam with his Aunt Sarah

Sam with his great-Grandma

Sam with his Uncle Tim

Sam with his other Uncle Tim (And yet there is one more...except that the final one is great...not to say the first two are not great! :  )  )

Sam with his Aunt Kelly

Cuteness!

These are pictures I tried taking for the holiday card...the ones that were cute but just didn't make the cut!

The overall brothers! Aren't they cute!

I love Sam's double chin!

And this is why we don't bother with a nice lawn! That is Nathan in the middle though he is looking rather stealthy!

Sam continues to grow and twist us all around his pudgy little pinky. He sits in a bouncy seat on the kitchen counter while I work and he has figured out that if he waves his foot in the air, that he can bounce the seat himself. He really gets it going! He is reaching for things now and holding toys in his hands. He has been sucking on his fingers and drooling enough that people are asking me if he is teething....I don't feel anything yet.